Whether you’ve hit a few bumps in the road, or you’ve suffered a major setback, staying motivated and continuing to move towards your goals is HARD. Not everyone is motivated by the same things and there is no “one-size-fits-all” method. Depending on how you operate as an individual, this can make meeting your goals all the more difficult. “When I first started Fuckjerry, staying motivated to constantly keep the feed updated with the best possible content was really difficult,” shares Elliot. “As hard as I was working during those first few years, I hadn’t made a dollar. At the time, there was no term for ‘influencer marketing.’ No one really knew what it was yet. There were many days where I wanted to throw in the towel but I knew if I was consistent and kept posting high-quality content, it would lead to something bigger.”
Motivation can be tricky. That said, there are a few things you can implement to help push yourself along, no matter where you are in the journey.
Create A Purpose-Driven “Why” Statement
Here you may be asking yourself what a “why” statement even is. According to motivational speaker and the New York Times best-selling author of “Start With Why” Simon Sinek, a “why” statement is “the compelling higher purpose that inspires us and acts as the source of all we do.” A properly formed “why” statement gives you a sense of purpose and direction, both of which are key components of achieving a goal.
Create a “why” statement for your specific goal based on your responses to the following questions. Think about why you want to accomplish your specific goal. What happens when you meet that goal? How do you feel? What are you able to do? A “why” statement should be clear and should focus on the outcome that is most important to you. An example of an effective “why” statement would be: “I want to run a successful business, so that I can be financially independent and spend more quality time with my family.” Keep in mind that your statement should help you stay focused, feel inspired and make decisions that are aligned with your goal.
Pro-tip: Write your “why” statement out on a piece of paper and place it somewhere you will see everyday, such as the mirror or the front side of the refrigerator. Be sure to read it out loud as often as you see it.
Create Micro-Goals
If you are struggling to meet your goal, consider breaking it down into micro-goals. Regardless of where you are on the progress bar, micro-goals help you move forward in a focused, realistic way while building a visual roadmap that outlines how you will get to your end result. When you set micro-goals, you also build more momentum and excitement with each milestone as it is easier to see the progress that you’ve made.
To create effective micro-goals, break down the overarching goal into smaller more achievable steps. Be sure to set specific deadlines for these micro-goals as well as your overall goal, in order to keep yourself on track. In addition to this, consider setting up rewards for each milestone as a way to incentivize yourself even more.
Embrace the Power of Positive Thinking
Sometimes it’s not outside influences that are distracting us from our goals, it’s internal. Learning to practice a positive mindset can be life changing when it comes to how and how quickly you accomplish your goals.
Staying positive (in a healthy and reflective manner) can quickly help improve your focus and build confidence as you work towards your goals. Positive thinking helps you avoid discouraging thoughts as well as dwelling on the past. Overall, it helps you keep your head in the game while working through challenges.
Build Community
“Building or joining a community is a great way to stay motivated,” says the entrepreneur. “At the moment I’m actually in a handful of different groups of like-minded individuals who are working on similar goals. Being able to connect and share ideas as well as ask and answer questions has become invaluable to me” he continues.
Building a community can be a lot easier than you might think. Find a teacher, a class, or even a networking group to share experiences with. The encouragement that you and your community can share will help boost your overall motivation, especially after a setback. As Elliot points out, your group may also be able to share helpful tips and information on how they are meeting their goals and vice versa.
Learn From Your Mistakes
Thankfully, making a mistake does have a few positive benefits. Although it may be uncomfortable, facing your mistakes head-on and learning from them is crucial when it comes to meeting your goals. Taking the time to slow down and reflect on a mistake, without dwelling on it, will help you not to repeat it in the future. Each mistake offers you the opportunity to grow.
“In addition to learning from individual mistakes, I think it is important to take a look at patterns,” says Elliot. “I noticed recently that I had a habit of quickly saying yes to a lot of ‘opportunities’ before looking into how much it was going to cost me in time and resources versus its return on investment. Now, I’m much more careful and thoughtful about the opportunities I choose to take on. This has allowed me to focus on what’s most important.”
—Composed by a Staff Writer with insights from Elliot Tebele.
Check out more articles about Elliot Tebele on his blog
